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Hey guys. I've got a S10 project truck into which I'm about to swap a LS motor and T56, to replace the current 4.3 V6 and NV3500.
I researched this for a couple months and got a lot of help from S10Forum so I'm in pretty good shape overall. I've already bought a 2007 L76 motor with 120K on it from a Silverado truck. I also already bought Stainless Works long tubes and the Holley oil pan I need to make it work in my truck. I've got a custom harness ordered from CPW already so wiring is covered.
I decided that I'm going to get rid of the DoD and VVT and I'm pretty sure I'm going get those kits from TSP along with one of their stage 1 LS3 cam kits.
So my questions are pretty generic and basic. I've swapped heads, intakes, exhaust, and whole engines but I've never installed a cam or changed valve springs before. I can handle the cam but I'm scared of screwing up my heads by doing something stupid.
Should I take my heads to a shop to have them surfaced and let them install the springs? Or should I just buy a spring tool, install the new springs myself, and run the heads as I got them?
Should I clean up the piston tops or not? I'm worried about getting crap down in the engine but I don't know if that's a reasonable concern or not. What about other cleaning or maintenance while the heads and oil pan are off?
How much scoring is acceptable on the cylinder walls? The first pic below is the #1 cylinder and pretty much represents 7 of the 8 cylinders. You can see scoring but I can't feel any of it when I drag a finger nail across.
The second pic is the #7 cylinder. There are two marks that I can feel just a bit with a finger nail. Do I need to have the cylinders honed and install new rings or would you guys just run the motor as is? The cross hatching is still visible in all 8 cylinders.
Springs are a very simple upgrade and if you can swap a motor you can swap springs! We have faith in you and save your money for more parts that you will need.
The scoring looks normal. I would not be worried about it. Are you pulling apart the rotating assembly at all? I would run it the way it is.
If I would have known then what I know now, I would have just done a aluminum head top end kit and fuel injection on my 350. I'm so dam sick of doing my convetsion $2500. Turned into $10,000 plus.
Springs are a very simple upgrade and if you can swap a motor you can swap springs! We have faith in you and save your money for more parts that you will need.
The scoring looks normal. I would not be worried about it. Are you pulling apart the rotating assembly at all? I would run it the way it is.
-Mike
Thanks. I don't want to touch the rotating assembly if I don't have to.
If I would have known then what I know now, I would have just done a aluminum head top end kit and fuel injection on my 350. I'm so dam sick of doing my convetsion $2500. Turned into $10,000 plus.
I know what you mean on the budget. I was expecting the $10K when I started but I'll probably have more like $12K or so in it when it's ready to drive.
Luckily LS swapping an S10 is almost plug and play when you go through a store like CPW. Expensive, but almost plug and play.
Valve springs are easy to change, do it yourself. I prefer to do it with the heads off but there's lots of methods for changing them with the heads on.
10-09-2017, 12:05 PM
Advice on my first LS build 
